Method and apparatus for communicating electronic service guide information in a satellite television system

ABSTRACT

Aspects of a method and apparatus for communicating electronic service guide information in a satellite television system are provided. A satellite communication system may receive a signal via an interface to a satellite dish, and receive data from a network via a second interface (e.g., an interface to a LAN or a WAN, such as the Internet). The satellite communication system may be operable to channelize the received satellite signal into a plurality of channels, wherein a first channel of the plurality of channels carries electronic service guide (ESG) data. The satellite communication system may select which of the plurality of channels to input to a demodulator based, at least in part, on whether ESG data is available via the second interface. A second channel carrying media data may be input to the demodulator while the ESG data is available via the second interface.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/301,394 filed on Nov. 21, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,609.

The above-referenced application is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to satellite communicationssystems. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relateto a method and system for communicating electronic service guideinformation in a satellite television system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Present broadband receivers, for example those utilized in satellitetelevision systems, are inflexible and limited in capabilities. Furtherlimitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approacheswill become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison ofsuch systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method is provided for communicating and/or processingelectronic service guide information in a satellite television system,substantially as illustrated by and/or described in connection with atleast one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary satellite communication system.

FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary satellite communication system.

FIG. 2 depicts a portion of a satellite communication system such as thesystems in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for receivingelectronic service guide (ESG) data in a satellite communication system.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for processing asatellite signal utilizing electronic service guide (ESG) data in asatellite communication system.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for processing asatellite signal utilizing electronic service guide (ESG) data in asatellite communication system.

FIG. 5 is a state diagram illustrating exemplary states of a systemoperable to receive ESG data from a LAN/WAN.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As utilizedherein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in the list joinedby “and/or”. For example, “x and/or y” means any element of thethree-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. Similarly, “x, y, and/or z” meansany element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y,z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term “module” refer to functionsthan can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or anycombination of one or more thereof. As utilized herein, the term“exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, orillustration.

FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary satellite communication system. Referringto FIG. 1A, there is shown a satellite communication system comprising asatellite dish 106, a gateway 102, and a television 104. The gateway 102is coupled to the satellite dish 106 via a communication link 108 andcoupled to a local area network (LAN) and/or wide area network (WAN) viaa communication link 110. As a non-limiting example, the gateway 102 maybe communicatively coupled to an ESG server (e.g., at or associated witha satellite broadcast company) via link 110 and the Internet.

Each of the communication links 108 and 110 may comprise one or morewired, wireless, and/or optical links. The communication link 110 may,for example, comprise one or more links which carry physical layersymbols in accordance with one or more of DSL, Ethernet, and/ormultimedia over coaxial alliance (MoCA) standards. Also for example, thecommunication link 110 may operate in accordance with any of a varietyof wireless communication protocols. The communication link 108 maycomprise, for example a coaxial cable and/or a 60 GHz wireless link.

The satellite dish 106 may comprise circuitry operable to receivesatellite signals and output the received signals to the gateway 102 viathe communication link 108. The satellite dish 106 may, for example,comprise an RF front-end for processing received signals in the analogdomain, and conveying the analog signals to the gateway 102 via the link108. A signal received by the satellite dish 106 may comprise aplurality of frequency division multiplexed channels. One or more of thechannels may carry media (i.e., audio, video, graphics, etc.) data, andone or more of the channels may carry electronic service guide (ESG)data. The ESG data may provide information about the channels carried inthe satellite signal. For example, the ESG data may indicate thechannels carried in the signal 106, and may provide information on whereand how the channels can be accessed (e.g., information fordemodulating, decrypting, and/or decoding the channels).

The gateway 102 may comprise circuitry operable to receive satellitesignals, process the received signals to recover data, and output thedata to an end-user device such as the television 104. The gateway 102may also comprise circuitry operable to transmit and/or receive dataover the communication link 110.

The television 104 may comprise circuitry operable to receive media dataand control data from the gateway 102, process the received data torecover audio and/or video, and present the audio and/or video to aviewer.

In operation, the satellite dish 106 may receive a satellite signal,amplify and/or otherwise process the signal in the analog domain, andconvey the analog signal to the gateway 102 via the communication link108. The gateway 102 may process the analog signal received via the link108 to recover media and/or other data communicated in the satellitesignal. The gateway 102 may obtain ESG data associated with thesatellite signal by demodulating a channel of the satellite signal thatcarries ESG data, and/or may receive ESG data via the communication link110.

The gateway 102 may utilize the ESG data to access channels carried inthe satellite signal. For example, a user of the gateway 102 may requesttelevision network XYZ. The gateway 102 may utilize the ESG to find thefrequency of television channel XYZ in the signal 203. The gateway 102may then tune to the found frequency, and demodulate (and otherwiseprocess, as necessary or desired) the channel at that frequency torecover the media being broadcast on television channel XYZ. The gateway102 may output the media to the television 104 where it may be furtherprocessed (as desired or necessary), and presented.

FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary satellite communication system. Referringto FIG. 1B, there is shown a satellite dish 126, a communication link128, a communication link 130, a gateway 122, and a television 124.

The television 124 may be substantially similar to the television 104described with respect to FIG. 1A. The communication link 130 may besubstantially similar to the communication link 110 described withrespect to FIG. 1A.

The satellite dish 126 may be similar to the satellite dish 106, but maydiffer in that it comprises a processing module 132 that is operable toconvert a received signal to a digital representation beforecommunicating it to the gateway 122 via the link 128 (e.g., in the formof Internet Protocol (IP) packets). In some instances, the module 132may be operable to perform additional digital-domain processing of thereceived signal prior to conveying the signal to the gateway 122.

The gateway 122 may be substantially similar to the gateway 102described in FIG. 1A but may receive digital signals over the link 128,whereas the gateway 102 in FIG. 1A receives analog signals via the link108.

FIG. 2 depicts a portion of a satellite communication system such as thesystems in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Referring to FIG. 2 there is shown a system202 comprising RF front-end module 204, a LAN/WAN transceiver module206, a channelizer module 208, a switching module 210 (e.g., amultiplexer), and a plurality of demodulator modules 212 ₁-212 _(J−1),where J is an integer greater than 1, and a control module 214. Thesystem 202 may, for example, reside in the gateway 102, in the module132, or may be distributed between the gateway 122 and the module 132.

The signal 203 may, for example, be the result of a plurality, K, ofchannels being frequency division multiplexed into a single signal. Thesignal 203 may occupy a frequency band from F₁₀ lo F_(hi). The RFfront-end 204 may be operable to process a received RF signal 203 togenerate a digital signal 224. The RF front-end 204 may, for example,amplify, down-convert, filter, and/or digitize the received signal 203to generate the digital signal 224.

The channelizer 208 may, for example, be operable to select J channelscontained in the signal 224 and output the selected channels as signals218 ₁-218 _(J). Each of the signals 218 ₁-218 _(J−1) may, for example,carry media (e.g., each corresponding to a particular televisionchannel). The signal 218 _(J) may, for example, carry ESG data. Thechannelizer 208 may be controlled based on the signal 228.

The switching module 210 may be operable to couple, at any particulartime, either the signal 218 _(J−1) or the signal 218 _(J) to thedemodulator 212 _(J−1). Which of the signals is coupled to thedemodulator 212 _(J−1) may depend on the signal 222. By repeatedlyswitching the signal 222, the signals 218 _(J−1) and 218 _(J) may becoupled to the demodulator 212 _(J−1) in a time-division multiplexedmanner.

Each of the plurality of demodulator modules 212 ₁-212 _(J−1) may beoperable to demodulate the signal input to it. The demodulators 212₁-212 _(J−1) may be configured based on the signals 226 ₁-226 _(J−1).

The control module 214 may be operable to generate signals 226 ₁-226_(J−1), 222, and 228. A state of one or more of the signals 226 ₁-226_(J−1), 222, and 228 may be controlled based on received ESG data.

In an exemplary operation, on power-up, the system 202 may need toobtain ESG data associated with the signal(s) 203 so that it can findand process one or more of the channels of the signal 203. Theprocessing may comprise, for example, demodulating, decoding, anddecrypting media carried on the one or more channels for presentationvia an end-user device (e.g., television 104 or 124). The controller 214may determine whether ESG data is available via the link 110 and controlthe state of signal 222 accordingly. Such a determination may be madeby, for example, detecting whether the link 110 is active (e.g., via aping), searching for an ESG server, sending a request for ESG data to aknown ESG server, pinging a known ESG server to determine if aconnection to the ESG server is active, etc.

In instances that ESG data is available via the link 110, the controller214 may receive the ESG data via the link 110 and bus 230. In instancesthat ESG data is not available via the link 110, the controller 214 mayconfigure the module 210 to route the signal 218 _(J) to the demodulator212 _(J−1), and may configure the demodulator 212 _(J−1) to demodulatethe signal 218 ₁. Such configuration of the demodulator 226 _(J−1) maycomprise, among other things, tuning the demodulator 212 _(J−1) to thecenter frequency of the ESG channel (which may, for example, bepredetermined). When the module 210 is configured to route the signal218 _(J) to the demodulator 216 _(J−1), the controller may receive theESG data via line 216 _(J−1).

The ESG data may, for example, indicate a center frequency and/orfrequency range of each the channels in the signal 203. Once the systemis in possession of the ESG data, it may begin normal operation. Forillustration, we will assume J=4 and one or more users of the system 202concurrently desire channels X, Y, and Z. The invention, however, is notlimited to any particular value of J.

The RF front-end 204 may amplify, filter, down-covert and digitize thereceived satellite signal 203 to generate the digital signal 224. Thecontroller 214 may utilize the previously-received ESG data to configurethe channelizer 208 such that channels X, Y, and Z in the signal 224 areoutput as signals 218 ₁, 218 ₂, and 218 ₃, respectively. The controller214 may utilize the previously-received ESG data to control the signal226 ₁ such that the demodulator 212 ₁ is tuned to the frequency rangecorresponding to channel X. The controller 214 may utilize thepreviously-received ESG data to control the signal 226 ₂ such that thedemodulator 212 ₂ is tuned to the frequency range corresponding tochannel Y.

As for the demodulator 212 ₃, in instances that ESG data is continuallyneeded, and is being received via the satellite signal 203, thedemodulator 212 ₃ may be allocated to demodulating the signal 218 ₄.Consequently, the demodulator 212 ₃ may be unavailable for demodulatingthe signal 218 ₃ and the system 202 may be unavailable to output themedia of channel Z concurrently with the media of channels X and Y. Thatis, the system 202 may be unable to concurrently output mediacorresponding to three television channels while also receiving ESG datavia the satellite.

In instances that ESG data is being received via the link 110, thedemodulator 212 ₃ may be utilized for demodulating signal 218 ₃. In thismanner, the system 202 may concurrently output media corresponding tothree television channels while concurrently receiving the ESG data viathe link 110.

In instances that ESG data is received via the demodulator 212 _(N), butis needed only periodically or occasionally, the controller 214 may timedivision multiplex the demodulator 212 ₃ between processing the signal218 ₃ (channel Z) and the signal 218 ₄ (the ESG channel). For example,the signal 218 ₄ may be routed to the demodulator 212 ₃ during blankingtime of a video signal carried in the signal 218 ₃ and/or only for aperiod of time sufficient to refresh ESG data when previously-receivedESG data has become outdated.

In some instances, it may be desired to receive the ESG data from thesatellite even if ESG is available via the link 110. Accordingly, thestate of the signal 222 may be controlled based, in part, on a usersetting (e.g., via a user-configurable hard or soft switch) that forcesthe system 202 to get ESG data from the channel 218 _(J) regardless ofwhether ESG data is available via the link 110.

In some instances (indicated by dashed line 232), the controller 214 maybe operable to output ESG data onto the link 110. The ESG data output bythe controller via the link 110 may be communicated to another system(e.g., a gateway) via, for example, a MoCA network. For example, in asystem comprising a plurality of gateways, one of the gateways may bedesignated for recovering the ESG data and distributing it to the restof the gateways, such that the rest of the gateways can eitherpower-down their respective demodulators 212 _(J−1) or allocate theirrespective demodulators 212 _(J−1) to handling media channels.

In an exemplary embodiment, special messages for managing powerconsumption may be received via the link 110 and utilized to managepower consumption, as is described in the above-incorporated U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/555,550. In an exemplaryembodiment, both power-management information and ESG data may becarried in such special messages. In an exemplary embodiment, thespecial messages may, for example, instruct the system 202 when to placeone or more components of the system 202 into a lower-power mode. Forexample, a special message may instruct the system 202 to power down oneor more of the demodulators 212 ₁-212 _(J+1). In an exemplaryembodiment, the special messages may instruct the system 202 how andwhen to configure the switching module 210.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for receivingelectronic service guide (ESG) data in a satellite communication system.Referring to FIG. 3, after start step 302, the exemplary steps mayadvance to step 304. In step 304, the system 202 may determine whetherESG data is available via the LAN/WAN link 110. If ESG data is availablevia the LAN/WAN link 110, the exemplary steps may advance to step 306.In step 306, the switching module 210 may be configured to couple thechannel 218 _(J−1) to the demodulator 212 _(J−1). In step 308, thedemodulator 212 _(J−1) may demodulate the signal 218 _(J−1) to recovermedia carried in the signal 218 _(J−1). In step 310, the recovered mediamay be conveyed to an end-user device such as a monitor and/or speakers.

Returning to step 304, if ESG data is not available via the LAN/WAN link110, the exemplary steps may advance to step 312. In step 312, theswitching module 210 may be configured to couple the channel 218 _(J) tothe demodulator 212 _(J−1). In step 314, the demodulator 212 _(J−1) maydemodulate the signal 218 _(J) to recover ESG data carried in the signal218 _(J). In step 316, the recovered ESG data may be utilized to, forexample, configure various modules of the system 202, and updateparameters stored in the system 202.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for processing asatellite signal utilizing electronic service guide (ESG) data in asatellite communication system. The exemplary steps may be performed by,for example, the system 202 of FIG. 2. After start step 402, in step404, a demodulator may be allocated for demodulating an ESG channel of areceived satellite signal. In step 406, the demodulator may demodulatethe ESG channel to recover ESG data. In this exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the ESG data recovered from the satellite signal may bereferred to as “primary” ESG data because, for example, it contains morecomplete ESG, more up-to-date, more reliable, and/or otherwise differentthan ESG data (if any) available via a WAN/LAN (e.g., a MoCA network).In step 408, it may be determined whether ESG data is available via aWAN/LAN connection (e.g., link 110). In this exemplary embodiment of theinvention, ESG data recovered from the LAN/WAN connection may bereferred to as “supplemental” ESG data because it is different in someway than ESG data (if any) carried in the satellite signal.

In instances that supplemental ESG data is not available via the LAN/WANconnection, the exemplary steps may advance to step 410. In step 410,the primary ESG data recovered from the satellite signal may be utilizedfor processing the satellite signal.

Returning to step 408, in instances that supplemental ESG data isavailable via the LAN/WAN connection, the exemplary steps may advance tostep 412. In step 412, supplemental ESG data may be received from theLAN/WAN. In step 414, the supplemental ESG data may be combined with theprimary ESG data. This may comprise, for example, replacing some of theprimary ESG data with some corresponding supplemental ESG data,appending the supplemental ESG data to the primary ESG data, and/ormodifying some or all of the primary ESG data based on the supplementalESG data. In step 416, the combined ESG data may be utilized forprocessing the satellite signal.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps for processing asatellite signal utilizing electronic service guide (ESG) data in asatellite communication system. The exemplary steps may be performed by,for example, the system 202 of FIG. 2. After start step 452, in step454, ESG data may be received from a LAN/WAN (e.g., a MoCA network, apremises-based wireless LAN, a telecommunication network, a cabletelevision network, etc.). In this exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the ESG data received via the LAN/WAN may be referred to as“primary” ESG data because, for example, it contains more complete, moreup-to-date, more reliable, and/or otherwise different than ESG data (ifany) carried in the received satellite signal. In step 456, it may bedetermined whether ESG data is available via the satellite. In thisexemplary embodiment, the ESG data in the satellite signal may bereferred to as “supplemental” ESG data because it is different in someway than ESG data (if any) received via the LAN/WAN.

In instances that supplemental ESG data is not available via theLAN/WAN, the exemplary steps may advance to step 458. In step 458, theprimary ESG data received from the LAN/WAN may be utilized forprocessing the satellite signal.

Returning to step 456, in instances that supplemental ESG data isavailable in the received satellite signal, the exemplary steps mayadvance to step 460. In step 460, a demodulator may be allocated fordemodulating an ESG channel of the received satellite signal. In step462, the demodulator may demodulate the ESG channel to recoversupplemental ESG data. In step 464, the supplemental ESG data may becombined with the primary ESG data. This may comprise, for example,replacing some of the primary ESG data with some correspondingsupplemental ESG data, appending the supplemental ESG data to theprimary ESG data, and/or modifying some or all of the primary ESG databased on the supplemental ESG data. In step 466, the combined ESG datamay be utilized for processing the satellite signal.

FIG. 5 is a state diagram illustrating exemplary states of a systemoperable to receive ESG data from a LAN/WAN. The states 502 and 504 maybe states of operation of a system such as the 202 of FIG. 2. In state502, the system may receive ESG data from a LAN/WAN and may utilize aparticular demodulator for processing a media channel of a receivedsatellite signal. In state 504, the system may utilize the particulardemodulator for processing an ESG channel of the received satellitesignal. The system may transition between states occasionally and/orperiodically.

In an embodiment of the invention, the system may start-up in state 504to obtain initial ESG data, transition to state 502 after acquiring theinitial ESG data, and thereafter receive ESG updates via the LAN/WAN. Inan embodiment of the invention, the system may generally operate instate 504 but periodically (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, etc.)transition to state 502 for a short period of time. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the system may operate in either state 502 or 504 basedon a user setting and may transition between states only upon the usersetting being changed. In an embodiment of the invention, a systemoperating in state 502 may transition to state 504 upon the connectionto the LAN/WAN failing or becoming unreliable.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a satellite communicationsystem (e.g., system 202) may be operable to (i.e. capable of operatingto) receive a signal via a first interface (e.g., an interface to asatellite dish) and receive data from a network via a second interface(e.g., an interface to a LAN or a WAN, such as the Internet). Thesatellite communication system may be operable to channelize thereceived satellite signal into a plurality of channels, wherein a firstchannel (e.g., the channel contained in signal 218 _(J)) of theplurality of channels carries electronic service guide (ESG) data. Thesatellite communication system may select which of the plurality ofchannels to input to a demodulator based, at least in part, on whetherESG data is available via the second interface. A second channel of theplurality of channels (e.g., the channel contained in signal 218 _(J−1))may carry media data. An input to the demodulator may be time divisionmultiplexed between the first channel and the second channel. The secondchannel may be input to the demodulator while the ESG data is availablevia the second interface, such that the demodulator is utilized forprocessing a media channel while the ESG data is available via thesecond interface. The demodulator may be configured based on receivedESG data.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the satellite communicationsystem may be operable to receive supplemental ESG data via the secondinterface. The satellite communication system may be operable todemodulate, via the demodulator, the first channel to recover the ESGdata carried on the first channel. The satellite communication systemmay be operable to process a portion (e.g., channels carried in signals218 ₁-218 _(J−2)) of the plurality of channels utilizing the ESG datarecovered from the first channel and the supplemental ESG data receivedvia the second interface.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the satellite communicationsystem may be operable to control supply power provided to thedemodulator based, at least in part, on whether ESG data is availablevia said second interface. Controlling the supply power may comprise,for example, controlling whether the demodulator is connected to ordisconnected from a supply power, controlling a supply voltage levelapplied to the demodulator, and/or controlling a supply currentavailable to the demodulator.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the satellite communicationsystem may be operable to demodulate, via the demodulator, the firstchannel to recover ESG data, and transmit the recovered ESG data via thesecond interface. The transmitting of the recovered ESG data may be viaan in-home wireline or wireless network (e.g., an Ethernet or MoCAnetwork).

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitorymachine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium and/or storage medium,having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program havingat least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer,thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps asdescribed herein for communicating and/or processing electronic serviceguide information in a satellite television system.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein forcommunicating and/or processing electronic service guide information ina satellite television system.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind ofcomputing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computing system with a program orother code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computingsystem such that it carries out the methods described herein. Anothertypical implementation may comprise an application specific integratedcircuit or chip.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a network gateway devicecomprising: satellite interface circuitry configured to interface with asatellite dish for receiving a signal; network interface circuitryconfigured to interface with a network device other than said satellitedish; a demodulator; and a controller operable to: determine whetherelectronic service guide (ESG) data is present in a signal received fromsaid network device other than said satellite dish; and select whichsubset of a plurality of channels of said signal received from saidnetwork device other than said satellite dish are to be demodulated bysaid demodulator based on said determination of whether ESG data ispresent in said signal received from said network device other than saidsatellite dish, wherein: said selection is of a media channel of saidsignal when said ESG data is present in said signal; said selection isof an ESG channel of said signal when said ESG data is not present insaid signal; said demodulator is one of J demodulators; said Jdemodulators are configured to demodulate J media channels of saidsignal when said ESG data is present in said signal; said J demodulatorsare configured to demodulate J−1 media channels of said signal and oneESG channel of said signal when said ESG data is not present in saidsignal; and J is a positive integer.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinsaid network device other than said satellite dish is part of anEthernet network, digital subscriber line (DSL) network, Multimedia overCoax Alliance (MoCA) network, or cable television network.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein an output of said demodulator is transmitted into anin-home network.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein said in-home networkis an Ethernet network or a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA)network.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein circuitry of said networkgateway device is operable to receive primary ESG data via saidsatellite interface circuitry and supplemental ESG data via said networkinterface circuitry.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein said supplementalESG data is more up-to-date than said primary ESG data.
 7. The system ofclaim 5, wherein circuitry of said network gateway device is operable tomodify said primary ESG data based on said supplemental ESG data.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said controller is operable to power downsaid demodulator when ESG data is present in said signal received fromsaid network device other than said satellite dish.
 9. A methodcomprising: performing by circuitry of a network gateway device thatinterfaces with a satellite dish: determining whether electronic serviceguide (ESG) data is present in a signal received from a network deviceother than said satellite dish; and selecting which subset of aplurality of channels of said signal received from said network deviceother than said satellite dish are to be demodulated by said circuitryof said network device based on a result of said determining whether ESGdata is present in said signal received from said network device otherthan said satellite dish, wherein: said selecting comprises: selecting amedia channel of said signal when said ESG data is present in saidsignal; selecting an ESG channel of said signal when said ESG data isnot present in said signal; demodulator is one of J demodulators, andthe method comprises configuring said J demodulators to demodulate Jmedia channels of said signal when said ESG data is present in saidsignal; configuring said J demodulators to demodulate J−1 media channelsof said signal and one ESG channel of said signal when said ESG data isnot present in said signal; and J is a positive integer.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein said network device other than said satellite dishis part of an Ethernet network, digital subscriber line (DSL) network,Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) network, or cable televisionnetwork.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein an output of saiddemodulator is transmitted into an in-home network.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein said in-home network is an Ethernet network or aMultimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) network.
 13. The method of claim 9,comprising receiving primary ESG data from said satellite dish andsupplemental ESG data from said network device other than said satellitedish.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said supplemental ESG data ismore up-to-date than said primary ESG data.
 15. The system of claim 13,comprising modifying said primary ESG data based on said supplementalESG data.
 16. The method of claim 9, comprising powering down saiddemodulator when ESG data is present in said signal.